Neo-Nazi threatened New Zealand juror

A Nazi sympathizer from New Zealand was found guilty of threatening a juror during a trial of four white supremacists.

Lloyd James Bowling, 40, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was remanded Wednesday for sentencing on May 30 by a jury in the High Court in Wellington.

Bowling was found to have placed a note with the words “not guilty” alongside a swastika on the juror’s doorstep on July 13 – the last day of the High Court trial in Wellington of four skinheads charged with kidnapping and wounding a Canadian-Indian tourist.

The juror, whose identity has been suppressed, was discharged from duty and left New Zealand fearing for his and his family’s safety, the New Zealand Press Association reported.

Police found neo-Nazi memorabilia, as well as newspaper cuttings about the trial, at Bowling’s home. His fingerprint was found on the note, and police also recovered the exercise book in which the note was
written before it was ripped out. The notebook also contained white supremacist poems and letters, NZPA reported.

Justice Robert Dobson had told the jury on Wednesday to ignore their own prejudices when deciding Bowling’s fate.

“You may find that anti-black or anti-Jewish slogans are offensive,” he said. “You must put any such feelings to one side.”

Three of the defendants from last year’s trial were found guilty of various charges; the fourth man was discharged due to lack of evidence.